London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Is sleeping too much putting your health at risk?

Is sleeping too much putting your health at risk?

When it comes to sleep, many people are not getting enough, but as it turns out, getting too much can be a sign of an underlying health issue.
When it comes to sleep, many people are not getting enough, often muscling through the day fueled by multiple cups of coffee. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 out of every 3 people are sleep deprived on a regular basis. That’s important since consistently not getting the sleep your body needs is associated with several health problems, including a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and stroke.

But is getting too much sleep also bad for your health? Possibly.

A new study on more than 5,200 people between 45 and 75 years old, which was published in The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, found a link between sleeping for long periods of time (along with chronic insomnia symptoms) and declines in memory, executive function and processing speed - all signs that can come before people develop mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, according to a statement by the study’s lead author, Alberto R. Ramos, MD, an associate professor of neurology specializing in sleep medicine at the University of Miami Miller School.

Hispanic subjects were chosen for the study because, according to Ramos, they “have a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer's disease compared with non-Hispanic whites."

Sleeping too much is associated with several other health issues, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

But, like the famous chicken-or-the-egg conundrum, which comes first - sleeping too much or the health problem?

“The study is associating Alzheimer’s with oversleeping, which does not mean one is causing the other,” Aneesa Das, MD, sleep medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (who is not associated with the study), tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Association does not mean causation.”

It’s more likely that chronic health conditions can lead to oversleeping than the other way around, says Das. Rafael Pelayo, MD, a sleep specialist at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, agrees, telling Yahoo Lifestyle: “If someone is sleeping more than before, especially if they’re often tired, you have to wonder about some underlying medical problems.”

Das notes that excessive sleepiness is often due to a mood disorder, such as depression. “If you’re sleeping all day, you have to look at your mental health,” she says. “That would be my first concern for people. Number two, people could be oversleeping because of endocrine disorders, such as hypothyroidism.”

Along with certain medications (including over-the-counter ones) that can cause sleepiness, Das notes that obstructive sleep apnea — a common condition where breathing is briefly and repeatedly interrupted while sleeping - decreases sleep quality, making people more tired, which can lead to oversleeping.

There are also sleep disorders, such as idiopathic hypersomnia (a rare disorder that makes people excessively sleepy) and narcolepsy (which causes “overwhelming” daytime drowsiness and sudden “attacks of sleep,” according to the Mayo Clinic) - both of which can cause a person to sleep more than usual.

So what’s the right amount of sleep you should be aiming for?

For “optimal health and wellbeing,” the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults ages 18-60 get at least seven hours each night. Most experts, including Das, say a healthy range is between seven to nine hours per night (although she points out that there are outliers, such as long sleepers who need 10 or more hours per night, as well as short sleepers who are fine on six hours a night).

But Pelayo points out that it’s not just about logging a certain amount of sleep between the sheets - quality is also key. “It’s whether you feel refreshed or not,” he says. “You shouldn’t be waking up tired.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×